What are the main differences between traditional middle class & new money?

[Firebird65]

Following on from the recent thread about normal things we consider posh. Most were arguing things were "new money" not posh.. So what exactly are the differences between new money & traditional middle /lower upper class?
I am neither & would love money new or old!

And many of those exquisite Palladian mansions with hundreds of windows and grand galleries stuffed full of the spoils of Grand Tours, Capability Brown-designed grounds, fake waterfalls etc were the showing off of brash new money in their day.

New money is unsubtle. That’s it!

New money: the cast of TOWIE.
Old money: 'What is TOWIE? We only keep a television set for the ballet and David Attenborough.'

Middle classes only emerged durimg industrial revolution. Characterised by changing lavatory to toilet, napkin to serviette and introducing fish knives.
The landed gentry thought they were hilsrious

But virtually all ‘old money’ was once new and unsubtle.

Yeah, it’s cars around here. A couple we know inherited a lot of money. They now have a jag, a merc and an Audi. Before he used to manage with a beaten up jeep and she drove an old Ford. It’s now a question of “look at us”. 🙄

In my experience old money are polite and courteous to everyone whatever their status. New money are flashy but I think underneath all that they feel insecure. Seem have no manners and impolite to those they think are beneath them. Braying and noisy on holiday yet don't reply if you say hello. Maybe I've just met bad examples! I'm obviously a commoner to that sort, not worth speaking to. It's actually put me off going to a certain place in Cornwall as they seem to go enmass.

This thread is hilarious. In a bad way.

Yes that’s why I said new money

I was talking to a young person at the weekend about this in a roundabout way. He's from a deprived area and to him being able to afford good quality branded clothes is a rewards for the fact he's managed to work hard and earn the money. So he wants to show that off. Who am I to deny him that pleasure. Whereas I want the nice item for it's design and quality, to him the branding is important.

I think it depends on your flavour of ND tbh.

My husband, my stepdaughter and I are all AuDHD, all quite different and all drive each other a bit nuts as we seem to have the exact traits which wind each other up (e.g. I'm very impatient and hate being ignored, DH is a very slow processer who become entirely unaware of anyone speaking to him when in hyperfocus, I'm very sensitive to over-stimulation, particularly noise, SD is LOUD and DH talks non-stop, DH finds mess over-stimulating and SD and I am appallingly messy) however, on the whole, we all use our ND to our advantage and quite like ourselves and each other as we are. I know where I am with AuDHD and most of my friends are too.

We just assumed DD would be the same, but she's shocked us all a bit by turning out apparently NT. I wouldn't say I wanted her to be ND but occasionally she's going about the place starting a job and completing it, handling social situations without anxiety, knowing exactly where she left her doll or her hairbands and going to fetch them, and we're both impressed and a little nervous.

I don't think I'm new money because I don't really have any money, but I didn't NOT want my child to be ND, I just assumed she would be and finding her to not be has been an adjustment.

I think the biggest difference between nouveau riche and old money is the need to splurge and flaunt wealth.

Old money feels as much emotional attachment to the perfect cardboard box that fits in the boot of their car as new money feels about their electric gates.

The neuro diverse thing is a perfect excuse for badly behaved kinds.

I don’t think you’re the sort of person that poster was talking about, TBH.

There is genuine neuro diverse and the parents who label their children as such at the drop of a hat. Two very different things.

This looks at history and evolution of class system and suggests some markers though you could probably get an argument on most of them but it does try to put broad stokes classification on mess that is UK class system - that we do tend to internalise to some level.

Such fucking ignorance. My ND child isn’t badly behaved, he’s just non verbal (at 6) and has no real idea of what is going on around him. He lives in his own very small world, in which the only things that give him pleasure are spinning in circles and lining up toy cars. He will never have friends, his own family, or live independently. Of course being ‘new money’ I obviously had a strong desire for him to be this way.

And who are you to decide whether someone’s child is ND, or whether they’re just ‘labelling’ their child? Unless you walked in their shoes, how would you know?

Well quite- but people do. Going by the huge waiting lists for assessment, predominately dominated by the middle classes.

Because I work in the field and see it all the time.

How the fuck do you know the social class of the people whose children are on a waiting list for assessment?!

See post above.

Ah, so you’re massively unprofessional then.

no- but I am incredibly sick of seeing children who really need help and support not getting it as services are swamped with children who don't need it.

MC will go camping in France

New Money will be in Dubai and the whole trip will be on Instagram, particularly the cocktails